SENSE receives prestigious grant of € 800.000 from NWO for PhD research on critical tipping points in complex human-environment systems

In the framework of this graduate programme SENSE will select 12 excellent MSc students in the first year of their MSc study (2011/2012) out of about 460 MSc students who participate in 13 selected MSc programmes at Wageningen, Utrecht, Delft/Leiden, Groningen, Maastricht University and the VU University Amsterdam. SENSE will offer these twelve MSc students a special research master track in 2012/2013. This track will enhance their research skills, familiarize them with the research programmes of eleven leading SENSE groups in the field of 'complex dynamic systems' and allow them to write their own PhD proposal. At the end six PhD students will be selected to actually carry out their proposed PhD research. They can start their PhD research in September 2013. These six candidates will be financed for 2/3 by the received NWO funds and 1/3 by university funds.

The research programme 'Complex Dynamics of Human-Environment System' focuses on a better understanding of human-induced disturbances in complex systems, such as the broader climate system. Research is directed to the dynamics, stability, resilience, disturbances and feedback mechanisms in these complex systems. Special attention should be paid to critical thresholds or tipping points, which could lead to sudden and sometimes irreversible transitions.

NWO press release is available at: http://www.nwo.nl/nwohome.nsf/pages/NWOP_8L8FAV